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Wasco High · Wasco

Wasco High: This school runs ahead of the state average. The bar itself is the harder conversation.

Wasco posts 41% meeting the standard against 36% statewide — ahead of most, with real headroom above the bar.

1900 Seventh Street, 93280 (opens in new tab)·Wasco Union High·Wasco·Grades 9-12·1,672 students·88% low-income·2024–25 CAASPP·(661) 758-7400
2019–2025 trend · CDE CAASPP
This schoolCA avg
Scope4544
% Exceeded16%16%
% Met+41%36%
Grad rate96.0%87.6%
College readiness9.8%35.4%
Absence17.6%30.2%
Suspension0.1%3.6%
Scope Score
45
🌱 Building Momentum · Developing
ranked #1,084 statewide

Wasco High scores 45 of 100 on SchoolScope's Scope Score — the 50th percentile of 2,160 California high schools (CDE CAASPP 2025).

Measures test performance, attendance, and climate — not arts, community, or your kid. How we score →

🌱 Building Momentum — This label means the data doesn't clearly sort the school one way or the other — ask what the school is proud of, and what it's working on.

CDE CAASPP 2025

Most rating sites would stop at “41% proficient” and call it done. Wasco deserves a closer read. The school sits in Wasco, where four in five students qualify for free or reduced lunch — and reading the numbers without that context misreads the school.

Wasco's low-income kids hit 54.8% proficiency in ELA — a number the same group reaches at 38.2% statewide. If you're trying to read past zip-code-driven test scores, that's the signal worth weighing.

The seven-year arc

Percentile among 2,160 high schools statewide

Has stayed near the 50th percentile since 2019.

CA Dashboard
ELABlue(Increased Significantly)MathGreen(Increased Significantly)

Proficiency here is back to its pre-pandemic level — 41% meet the standard, about where the school stood in 2019.

ELA — % met or exceeded, by grade
Grade20192022202320242025
Grade 1156%52%61%51%58%
Math — % met or exceeded, by grade
Grade20192022202320242025
Grade 1128%16%16%21%25%

The story this school is actually telling

Proficient by 11th grade
41%
State 36%
Graduate
96%
State 88%
Pass an AP exam
10%
State 35%

Of 100 students here: 41 are proficient by 11th grade → 96 graduate → 10 pass an AP exam. The gaps between those bars are the questions to ask.

54.8%
Low-income · ELA · met standard

Wasco's most underrated number

54.8% of low-income students met the ELA standard — versus 38.2% for the same group statewide. That's the strongest kind of signal a school can post: it holds across income lines.

Wasco low-income: 54.8%State low-income: 38.2%Wasco EL: 5.4%State EL: 10.4%

The 7 things our score weighs

Graduation rate
96.0%
State 87.6%
8.4pp above state avg
Exceeded standard
15.8%
State 15.8%
0.1pp below state avg
College readiness
9.8%
State 35.4%
AP exam pass rate below state avg
Met or exceeded
41.3%
State 35.7%
5.6pp above state avg
Chronic absenteeism
17.6%
State 30.2%
12.6pp below state avg
Suspension rate
0.1%
State 3.6%
3.5pp below state avg
EL proficiency (ELPAC)
14.0%
State 18.0%
4.0pp below state avg
Worth a school visit

Ask how the school challenges kids who clear the standard early. The gap between meeting and exceeding is where pacing shows.

  • Ask whether extra support — tutoring, counseling, small groups — reaches kids across income lines, not just the students already ahead.
  • Ask what share of students complete the full college-prep course sequence, and who gets steered into it.
  • Ask whether the tour can step into a working classroom — watch how the teacher handles a student who's stuck.
  • Ask to tour while school's in session, and notice how hallways and transitions feel — culture shows up between classes, not just in them.
  • Ask how the school communicates with families when a child starts to struggle.
  • Ask what a typical day looks like for a new student in the first few weeks.

How every group of students does here

At Wasco High in Wasco, 54.8% of low-income students met or exceeded the ELA standard in 2025, compared to 50.5% district-wide and 38.2% statewide. Wasco High outperforms its district average for low-income students by 4.3 percentage points in ELA. Other subgroups: Low-Income students (21.7% Math proficient); Hispanic students (57.5% ELA proficient). The largest proficiency gap is 52.6 percentage points for english learner students. Data source: California Department of Education, CAASPP 2024-25. 321 students tested.

All students at this school: 41% met or exceeded
All StudentsAll Students: this school 41%, district —, state 36%41%
Hispanic/LatinoHispanic/Latino: this school 40%, district 36%, state 32%40% · −1 vs school
Socioeconomically DisadvantagedSocioeconomically Disadvantaged: this school 38%, district 34%, state 32%38% · −3 vs school
FemaleFemale: this school 42%, district 39%, state 44%42% · +1 vs school
MaleMale: this school 40%, district 36%, state 42%40% · −1 vs school
English LearnersEnglish Learners: this school 2%, district 3%, state 11%2% · −39 vs school
Students with DisabilitiesStudents with Disabilities: this school 5%, district 5%, state 15%5% · −35 vs school
WhiteWhite: this school 60%, district 60%, state 56%60% · +19 vs school
Black/African AmericanBlack/African American: too few students to report‹11
AsianAsian: too few students to report‹11
Two or More RacesTwo or More Races: too few students to report‹11
HomelessHomeless: too few students to report‹11
this school district, same group California, same group

Showing up, and staying in class

Chronic absenteeismChronic absenteeism: this school 17.6%, district 35.9%, state 30.2%17.6% · −12.6pp vs state
Suspension rateSuspension rate: this school 0.1%, district —, state 3.6%0.1% · −3.5pp vs state
Chronic absenteeism by grade band
Grades 9–1217.0%

The people teaching here

Context — never part of the Scope Score
Student : teacherStudent to teacher ratio: this school 22:1, district 21:122:1
Teaching staff73 teachers
Avg. experience14.6 years
Fully credentialed85%
Salary Schedule
Teacher salary schedule$62,956 – $129,952
Principal salary$0 – $159,578
Superintendent salary$179,000

Pay is set by the district, not the school.

Course Breadth
AP courses offered7
AP exam qualifiers20 students
CTE pathway completers80 students

What gets spent here

Per-pupil spendingPer-pupil spending: $25,349, CA average $14,815$25,349 · spent at this school
Federal share$1,021 per student

$1,021 per student arrives as federal Title funding — a measure of concentrated need, not school quality.

District current expense · FY 2024–25$20,245 per student

The district's current expense of education per student, from CDE's annual SACS filing — the freshest district spending figure the state publishes.

Where the district's dollars go · FY 2024–25 · CDE SACS
Instruction52%
Instruction support12%
Student services9%
Administration10%
Buildings & maintenance14%
Other3%

District-level, from the district's own SACS general-ledger filing — school-by-school breakdowns aren't published by the state.

district detail, 2016–2020 — the newest published
2020$12,713 per pupil
2019$12,972 per pupil
2018$12,441 per pupil
2017$12,037 per pupil
2016$11,602 per pupil

Source: NCES F-33 · Full district breakdown →

The neighborhood it serves

Hispanic94.4%
District 94.5% · CA 56.1%
White3.0%
District 3.0% · CA 19.9%
Black1.7%
District 1.8% · CA 4.8%
Asian0.5%
District 0.5% · CA 10.2%
Other0.2%
District 0.2% · CA 9.0%
Low IncomeFree/reduced lunch eligible 87.5% (24pp above CA avg)
Neighborhood — American Community Survey
Median income$51K · CA $85K
Median home value$275K · CA $659K
Bachelor's degree+6% · CA 35%
ZIP population27,407
Median age31 years

Source: U.S. Census Bureau, American Community Survey 5-year estimates (2024) · ZIP-level

Worth Knowing

On the state's science test (CAST), 21% met or exceeded the standard — science is tested in grades 5 and 8 but never enters the Scope Score.

Frequently asked questions

Is Wasco High a good high school?

Wasco High has a Scope Score of 45 out of 100, placing it in the 50th percentile of California high schools and ranked #1,084 statewide. 15.8% of students exceeded the state standard on the 2025 CAASPP assessment, which is near the California average of 15.8%. The Scope Score weights 7 dimensions for high schools: graduation rate (25%), exceeded standard (22%), college/career readiness (20%), met or exceeded (proficient) (18%), chronic absenteeism (5%), suspension rate (5%), and ELPAC English Learner proficiency (5%). Data source: California Department of Education CAASPP 2025, analyzed by SchoolScope.

What are Wasco High's CAASPP test scores?

On the 2025 CAASPP Smarter Balanced Assessment, 41.3% of students at Wasco High met or exceeded the state standard in ELA and Math combined, and 15.8% exceeded it. The gap between those numbers matters: 25.5% of students are at the proficiency floor, while 15.8% pushed past it. Most rating sites report only the combined "proficient" number. SchoolScope surfaces the exceeded-vs-met split because it reveals whether a school's curriculum challenges students beyond minimum proficiency or paces toward it. 740 student-subject combinations were assessed.

How does Wasco High rank in California?

Wasco High ranks #1,084 among California high schools by Scope Score, placing it in the 50th percentile. This ranking is based on a weighted composite of 2025 CAASPP test performance (exceeded and met rates), chronic absenteeism, and suspension rate. Unlike single-number ratings, the Scope Score shows what drives the ranking so parents can decide what matters most to their family. See full methodology.

What is the attendance and school culture like at Wasco High?

17.6% of students at Wasco High are chronically absent (missing 10% or more of school days), which is better than the California average of 30.2%. The suspension rate is 0.1%, indicating a low-discipline-incident environment. SchoolScope includes these culture metrics in the Scope Score because they reflect day-to-day school experience in ways test scores alone cannot.

How does Wasco High compare to other schools in Wasco?

Wasco High scores 45/100 (50th percentile) among California high schools. To compare with nearby schools, SchoolScope shows the same metrics side by side: exceeded rate, proficiency, growth trajectory, and school culture indicators. The school serves 1,672 students. Use the schools in Wasco page or the map view to compare all high schools nearby.

How does Wasco High serve low-income and underrepresented students?

At Wasco High in Wasco, 54.8% of low-income students met or exceeded the ELA standard in 2025, compared to 50.5% district-wide and 38.2% statewide. Wasco High outperforms its district average for low-income students by 4.3 percentage points in ELA. Other subgroups: Low-Income students (21.7% Math proficient); Hispanic students (57.5% ELA proficient). The largest proficiency gap is 52.6 percentage points for english learner students. Data source: California Department of Education, CAASPP 2024-25. 321 students tested. SchoolScope shows disaggregated test scores by demographic subgroup so you can see how a school performs for your child's specific group — not just the school-wide average. Subgroup data is context, not part of the Scope Score: we don't penalize schools for who they serve. See our equity approach.

Your other options

All schools in Wasco →

Private alternatives nearby

Private schools within ~10 miles. These schools do not participate in state testing and cannot be scored or ranked.

A low score doesn't tell the whole story. Read: Your School Scored Low — Here's What That Actually Means

For the data nerds

Every number on this page

Score factors, grade-level breakdowns, subgroup proficiency, and peer comparisons.

01Score factorsWeighted composite · 2024–25
Graduation rate · 25%
96.0%
↑ vs CA 87.6% · 60th pctile
Exceeded standard · 22%
15.8%
↓ vs CA 15.8% · 50th pctile
College readiness · 20%
9.8%
↓ vs CA 35.4% · 35th pctile
Met or exceeded · 18%
41.3%
↑ vs CA 35.7% · 54th pctile
Chronic absenteeism · 5%
17.6%
↑ vs CA 30.2% · 60th pctile
Suspension rate · 5%
0.1%
↑ vs CA 3.6% · 66th pctile
EL proficiency (ELPAC) · 5%
14.0%
↓ vs CA 18.0% · 46th pctile
02By grade & subgroupCAASPP 2024–25 · % of tested students
ELATestedEXCMETNEARNOTMET++/CA
Grade 1135725%32%21%21%58%+11
MathTestedEXCMETNEARNOTMET++/CA
Grade 113836%19%27%48%25%+1
Science (CAST)TestedEXCMETNEARNOT
Grade 5/8/114902%20%71%8%

CAST is tested in grades 5, 8, and once in high school — not annually. Not part of the Scope Score.

Subgroup · ELATestedMET+vs districtvs CA
Socioeconomically Disadvantaged32154.8%+4+17
Hispanic/Latino33257.5%+4+19
English Learners375.4%−2−5
03Peer comparison · nearest high schoolssorted by Scope Score
SchoolDistScopeEXCMET+GrowthSusp
Wasco High ←—4515.8%41.3%—0.1%
Wasco Independence High0.6 mi251.9%14.2%—0.8%
California average—4415.8%35.7%—3.6%
04More measurescontext · not all part of the Scope Score
Graduation Rate
96.0%
AP Exam Prepared
9.8%
A-G Completion
35.1%
A-G are the 15 courses (across 7 subjects) required for UC/CSU eligibility
College-Going Rate
54.6%
YearScopePctileRankExcMet+AbsentSuspGrowth
20194750#102814.2%41.9%13.2%0.3%—
20224347#112010.8%33.9%22.2%0.1%—
20234450#107313.2%38.6%23.0%0.3%—
20244450#106914.5%36.1%19.8%0.2%—
20254550#108415.8%41.3%17.6%0.1%—
NO STATEWIDE TESTING 2020–21 (COVID) · SCORE AND PERCENTILE ARE RELATIVE TO EACH YEAR'S FIELD
05Climate by student groupchronic absenteeism · 2019 vs 2025 — the two years CDE publishes at subgroup level
Group20192025Δ
Female11.8%17.3%+5.5pp
Male13.4%16.7%+3.3pp
Black/African American18.2%10.3%-7.9pp
Hispanic/Latino12.6%17.3%+4.7pp
Students with Disabilities22.6%25.9%+3.3pp
English Learners25.0%22.7%-2.3pp
Military-Connected11.0%13.6%+2.6pp
Socioeconomically Disadvantaged13.5%17.6%+4.1pp
All Students12.6%17.0%+4.4pp
Asian—9.1%—
Homeless—23.5%—
EXC = exceeded standard · MET+ = met or exceeded ("proficient") · Source: CA Dept. of Education · CAASPP 2024–25 · n=2,160 high schools · Vintages: climate subgroups 2019+2025 · district finance per its label · ACS 2022 · Data updated 2026-07-03methodology · data updates · CSV · report issue

SchoolScope scores and verdicts are our interpretation of public California Department of Education data — independent analysis, not an official rating. How we analyze · Request a correction

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